It was a special day at North Bergen’s Department of Public Works today, as workers threw a retirement party for Commissioner Frank Gargiulo. The Commissioner chose not to seek re-election on Mayor Nicholas Sacco’s ticket in Tuesday’s upcoming election.
Commission candidate Anthony Vainieri stated on Facebook that, “It was a bittersweet moment today as the whole department of DPW held a retirement party for Frank Gargiulo. Frank has done an outstanding job during his time as Commissioner and we are so grateful for his hard work and dedication to the department and our community. He put in more than just his time, he put his heart and soul into it, and we hope he will joy retirement. He earned it! Thank you Commissioner!”
Gargiulo, who spent many years, four decades to be exact, as an educator, served as principal and football coach at St. Joseph High School in West New York, retiring as the Superintendent of the Hudson County Schools of Technology several years ago. The school’s new, High Tech High School campus in Secaucus is named in his honor. Gargiulo was named a trustee of the Hudson County Community College Board last year.
Gargiulo served one term in the 1980s as a Republican member of the New Jersey General Assembly. He was first elected to the North Bergen Commission in 1989. A United States Army veteran who reached the rank of Lieutenant, Gargiulo was named North Bergen’s Veteran of the Year in 2022.